Sorry for not taking progress pics, sometimes its hard to get the camera out while you're working.
These are made with recycled horseshoes. The hook is forged from 1/2" round bar. Leaves were textured with a cross peen, then creased with a homemade fuller. Glued together with the mig welder.

Horseshoes are mostly mild steel. I think it is mainly done that way due to cost, but I talked to a guy once who made his horse a set of shoes out of tool steel thinking they would last longer.He said when he rode over rocks it was like the poor thing was on roller skates because the rocks didn't have any bite against the hardened shoes.

I have made some letter openers out of shoes, but don't think they'd be much good as a knife.